Design Your Summer, Comfort vs. Adventure, & Friendship Burnout

We discuss a challenge to wear three items of clothing we are not currently using--and explore ways to overcome common obstacles. We also share creative happiness hacks for welcoming overnight guests, and examine how people who tend to be rigid can adjust their rules to reduce stress in changing circumstances. Resources and links related to this episode: New products Four Tendencies quiz Elizabeth is reading: Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand (Amazon, Bookshop)  Gretchen is reading: Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne by Katherine Rundell (Amazon, Bookshop)  Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.  Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At Giverny, artist Claude Monet spent a lot of time, energy, and money to create the circumstances that he knew would feed his creativity. He made the pond and planted the water lilies that inspired some of his greatest masterpieces. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.  Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

October 10th is World Mental Health Day, and to mark the event, Yale professor Dr Laurie Santos of the Happiness Lab podcast has assembled the “Titans of Happiness”: a crew of hosts and happiness experts from the top wellness podcasts. I was thrilled to join this panel with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a clinical psychologist and host of the podcast Therapy for Black Girls, Dan Harris, host and author of the 10% Happier podcast, and Laurie Santos--and all of us were a little starstruck by another extra special guest… ELMO! We talk hacks for building relationships with others, Elmo's viral moment, and self compassion. Here’s part 2. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.  Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We discuss a listener’s suggestion for scheduling a “sour hour” of complaints and grievances. We also share some useful information about how to relieve the pain of muscle knots, as well as some ideas for avoiding avoidance. Resources and links related to this episode: Muscle knots  Vote Forward Happier app  Elizabeth is reading: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (Amazon, Bookshop)  Gretchen is reading: The Third Realm by Karl Ove Knausgaard (Amazon, Bookshop)  Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app. Find the transcript for this episode on the episode details page in the Apple Podcasts app.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A brief discussion about this question posed to the AI assistant Claude—“What’s going on in your head?”—has haunted me ever since I first heard it. Get in touch: podcast@gretchenrubin.com Follow on social media: @GretchenRubin on YouTube @GretchenRubin on TikTok @GretchenRubin on Instagram @GretchenRubin on Threads Get the podcast show notes by email every week: happiercast.com/shownotes Get Gretchen Rubin’s newest book Life in Five Senses to see how she discovered a surprising path to a life of more energy, creativity, luck, and love: by tuning in to the five senses. Now available - order here. Visit Gretchen's website to learn more about Gretchen's best-selling books, products from The Happiness Project Collection, and the Happier app.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices